Machines for cutting or splitting stones, blocks and similar masonry material



ENTZ ET AL 2,888,915 MACHINES FOR CUTTING OR SPLITTING STONES, BLOCKS AND SIMILAR MASONRY MATERIAL 1a, 1956 June 2, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec.

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mcnmss FOR CUTTING OR SPLITTING STONES. BLOCKS AND SIMILAR MASONRY MATERIAL Filed Dec. 13, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet 2 \\q I j I .INVENZORS sqmuif gf gonzofim dr. gu /ax ATTORNEYS June 2, 1959 G. B. ENTZ ET AL MACHINES FOR CUTTING 0R SPLITTING STONES. BLOC AND SIMILAR MASONRY MATERIAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 13, 1956 m GE I l l T O\Q 2; I

. ATTORNEY} m r M ,J z 0 Wm m am 0 m .MR 6 W m memes FUR CUTTWG R SPLITTING STONES, BLOCKS AND SHVIILAR MASONRY MATERIAL Gerhard B. Entz and Samuel R. Connally, In, Oklahoma City, ()kia, assignors to Southwest Industrial Products, Ina, Oklahoma City, Okla, a corporation of Oklahoma Application December 13, 1956, Serial No. 628,150

4 Claims. (Cl. 125-23) This invention relates to machines for cutting or. splitting stones, concrete blocks and similar masonry material in which the cutting is accomplished by use of jaws, each of which comprises a series of chisels which may be individually set, by use of a wedge associated with each chisel, to the contour of the surface of the work Where the cut or split is to be made and then moved in unison to accomplish the cutting or splitting of the Work into separate masonry units, such as stone strips, sometimes termed ashlar, concrete blocks, etc. Examples of such types of machines are disclosed in the patents to Johanning 2,152,193 of March 28, 1939, and Eiitz 2,762,359, and in the pending application of Gerhard B. Entz for Machines for Cutting or Splitting Concrete Blocks and the Like, filed July 26, 1955, Serial No. 524,476.

Because of the great pressure required to cause the chisels to cut or fracture the work pieces so that, as to stone, the faces of the pieces which will be exposed to view in a wall, will not be too uneven as to be unsightly or, as to concrete blocks initially made in a mold, will, when out or split, present faces each of varying texture of pleasing and inviting appearance, the chisels must be held firm against the work during the power stroke of the jaw. It has been proposed in the past to hold the chisels to the contour of the stone or work by various means, such as clamps acting on the shanks of the chisels, or by a hydraulic medium acting on a piston associated with each chisel, but these have not been found'satisfac tory due in part to slippage as to the clamp means, or loss of the hydraulic medium due to leakage. So far as we have been able to determine, the most satisfactory means for accomplishing the object in view is to associate a wedge with each chisel shank and'to provide efiicient means for actuating the wedges and holding them in set position and against slippage during the power stroke of the machine. However, in the past, such chisel actuating and holding means has been to some extent complicated due to the great number of parts making up same, rather slow in operation and requiring considerable time and labor, in the event of breakage of parts and the replacement or repair thereof, during which time the machine is idle.

The principal objects of the invention are to improve these types of machines using the wedges to hold the chisels of the upper jaw of the machine in set positions according to the upper surfaces of the work pieces and to actuate and hold the chisels of the lower jaw in set position with respect to the under surfaces of the work pieces by rendering the wedge actuating and setting mechanisms low in cost of manufacture, thus reducing the production costs of the machines, and capable of operating at a greater cycling speed.

Another object is to provide such wedge actuating and setting mechanism as may be readily assembled in a short period of time and readily dismembered in whole or in part for repair and/ or replacement of worn or broken parts. According to the present invention any broken or worn moving part of the mechanism may be replaced rates Patent ice 2 without cutting a single weld or removing any major portion of the machine.

A further object is to provide mechanism for wedge setting the chisels of the upper jaw of machines, such as are disclosed in the aforesaid Patents 2,152,193 and 2,762,359, no matter whether the upper jaw or the lower jaw is movable for the cutting or splitting operation, which is compact thereby enabling workmen at the delivery end of the machine to more readily observe what is taking place during-operation of the machine and'remove out pieces of the work from the zone of the jaws of the machine without exercising the caution necessary where such mechanism is not compact but rather protrudes over all or a major portion of any receiving table or the like at the delivery end of the machine.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear inthe following detailed description of a practical embodiment thereof, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a machine of the general type disclosed in Patent 2,762,359 but showing chisel actuating and setting mechanism of both upper and lower jaws of the machine constructed and arranged according to the present invention, and with the wedges retracted so that the chisels are positioned for receiving the work.

Fig. 2 is a similar but fragmentary view at the zone of the lower jaw and showing the relative position. of parts of the chisel actuating and setting mechanism when the chisel has attained its maximum set position.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional v ewen substantially the line 3 of Fig. 2 with parts broken away and removed to condense the view.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of lever and link mechanism associated with one of the wedges.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view on substantially the line 5'5 of Fig. 4.

The present inventionv is disclosed, byway of example, applied to a stone cutting machine of the type shown in the aforesaid Patent 2,762,359 comprising mainly an upright frame 26 including spaced parallel posts 2 7; an upper reaction cross member 28 rigidly connected to the upper ends of posts 27; a vertically movable elongated cross member 32 disposed with its end portions guided along the frame posts 27 by sleeve-like end units 46 which embrace the posts 27; cutting means 31 carried by and disposed longitudinally of and below the upper cross member 28 for engagement upo'nthe upper surface of the work to be cut along a predetermined line of fracture; cutting means 34 carried by and disposed longitudinally of and above the movable cross member 32 for engagement with the under surface of the work; means 35, such as a hydraulic jack, for actuating the cross member 32; and a table or slide at the delivery end of the machine over which the cut pieces of masonry is moved by workmen after each cutting operation of the machine. The cutting means 31 and 34 have substantially the same characteristics in that each comprises a plurality of independently movable, side-by-side chisels 39 carried by chisel bars 41 extending longitudi nally of their associated cross members 28 and 32, as the case may be, the ends of the shanks of the chisels spaced from but confronting an inclined abutment or wedge plate 73. A wedge 66 for each chisel is reciprocable in directions substantially normal to the axis of its"respec-" tive chisel shank from a non-Wedging position as shown in Fig. 1 to a wedging position as shown in Fig. 2. When in a wedging position it engages the end of the shank of its respective chisel 39 and the abutment plate 73, and sets the chisel against movement with respect to its chisel carrying bar. The relative position of any particular chisel with respect to its chisel carrying bar, when the chisel is set, depends on the contour of the work, as is common in the art, or if there is no work in the zone of any particular chisel the wedge moves to a set position as shown in Fig. 2 projecting the chisel with respect to its chisel bar, to its fullest extent.

Briefly then, as is common in the art, the machine has an upper jaw comprising the cross member 28 and the cutting means 31, and a lower movable jaw comprising the cross member 32 and cutting means 34, but it is to be understood that the invention is applicable to machines when the upper jaw is movable as in the aforesaid Patent 2,152,193 or to machines where both jaws are movable if such is desired.

The wedge actuating and setting mechanism according to the present invention comprises a bank of levers 7 pivotally carried by the machine to oscillate about a common axis 8, there being provided a lever 7 for each wedge 66; first means 9 carried by each lever 7 for reciprocating its respective wedge upon oscillation of the lever; second means 11 normally acting to yieldably bias the wedges to wedging positions; third means 12 to actuate all of the levers 7 in a direction to move the wedges 66 to non-wedging positions against action of the means 11; and, if desired, fourth means 13 for operating means 12.

In the example shown each lever 7 is provided with a hub 15 which receives a horizontal shaft 16, common to all of the levers of the bank of levers 16, the shaft being secured at ends to the machine, as by brackets 18, and paralleling, in spaced relation, the adjacent cross members 28 or 32 as the case may be. The axis 8, above referred to is the axis of shaft 16.

The means 9, in the example shown comprises a series of links 19 (one for each lever 7 and its companion Wedge 66), each link being pivotally connected as by pin 20 to the free end portion of its respective lever, and pivotally connected as by pin 21 to the head end of its respective wedge 66. In the example shown, each lever has its one end forked to provide spaced branches 22 provided with aligned holes 23 for the reception of its pin 20, which also extends through a hole 24 in the free end of the lever, as shown in Fig. 5, and it is preferred to bifurcate the head end of the Wedge 66 to provide branches 25 for receiving the pin 21. The pins 20 and 21 are preferably of the split spring type known commercially as Sel-Lo examples of which are shown in the Rafter Patent No. 2,741,023 of April 10, 1956, since we have found that they are easily inserted, retain their set positions against movement due to vibration and other forces which might otherwise cause their displacement, yet they may be easily removed by punching operations if it is desired to withdraw any link 19 and its companion wedge for repair or replacement.

Referring now to the means 11 such preferably comprises a series of contraction springs 29, having end hooks and 33, and a perforated bar 36 secured in any suitable manner to a suitable portion of the machine. There is a spring 29 provided for each wedge 66 and in the example shown the end hooks 30 are detachably engaged in perforations 37 of bar 36, while the end hooks 33 are detachably engaged in a perforation 38 provided in the respective lever 7 of the associated wedge 66. In the example shown, the bars 36 are secured to the webs of the cross members 28 and 32 of the respective upper and lower jaws of the machine.

As to the means 12, it preferably comprises a horizontal shaft 40 disposed with its axis parallel to the axis of shaft 16 and carried by bearings 41 carried by the machine, such as to the upper ends of posts 27, as to the upper jaw, and to the sleeves 46 of the lower jaw, in the example shown, and means 42 carried by the shaft 40 ccicentrically thereof for engaging all of the levers 7 intermediate their ends, to move the levers simultaneously in a direction for actuating the wedges to a non-wedging position when the shaft 40 is moved in one direction (counter-clockwise from the position shown in Fig. 2, to the position shown in Fig. 1) and to permit the levers to move in a counter direction, responsive to means 11 when the shaft 40 is rotated in the opposite direction (clockwise from the position shown in Fig. 1, to the position shown in Fig. 2) thus actuating the wedges to a wedging position. The means 42 preferably comprises an axle 43 paralleling the shaft 40 and secured thereto by arms 44, and roller or tubular member 45 freely revoluble on the axle, constituting an anti-friction medium for rolling engagement with the levers 7. If desired a spacing tube 47 may surround the portion of shaft 40 between the brackets 41. The shaft 40, or its spacing tube may be so positioned, as shown in Fig. 2 that, when there is no work disposed between the chisels 39 and the shaft 40 is rotated in a direction for setting of the wedges in holding relation to their respective chisels, the levers 7 will be limited in their movement by engagement with the shaft 40, or its spacing tube 47, as the case may be so as to prevent the means 11 from jamming the wedges in tight contact with the chisel bar 41 and the abutment or wedge plate 73.

While any suitable means 13 for operating means 12 may be provided, we disclose such means 13 as one or more servo-motors 48, functioning in a manner similar to those in the aforesaid Patent 2,762,359, where the machine is hydraulically operated, comprising a cylinder 49 and a piston rod 50; and, a lever 51 on the shaft 40, the cylinder being pivoted to the machine as by pivot 52 and the piston rod 50 pivoted, as by pivot 53 to the free end of lever 51.

The increase in operational or cycling speed is in part the result of a shortened stroke of the piston rod 50 of the servo-motor 48 for imparting movement to other parts of the mechanism as compared with the strokes of the servo-motor piston rods in the aforesaid Patent 2,862,359. In a typical example of a machine according to the present invention the piston rod stroke is 2 /8" in order to accomplish the object in view which is slightly less than one-half the stroke of the piston rods of the corresponding servo-motors in machine of the same capacity made according to the wedge actuating and setting mechanism disclosed in the aforesaid Patent 2,762,359.

It will be noted the wedge actuating and setting mechanism according to the present invention is comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, may be easily assembled and dismembered, and is very compact. This latter is especially important as to its use with the upper jaw of the machine, for by observation of Fig. 1, it will be noted that a Workman at the delivery end of the machine guiding cut pieces of masonry above the table or slide does not have a mass of mechanism near his head and may more readily observe the cutting and other operations from the delivery end of the machine without the necessity of exercising caution, so as to avoid head contact with parts of the machine.

We claim:

1. In a masonry cutting machine of the type in which a plurality of chisels, each having a shank, are carried in side-by-side relationship by a jaw of the machine and are individually set in cutting relation to the work by a wedge interposed between a portion of the chisel shank and an abutment, with the wedges reciprocable in directions substantially normal to the axis of its respective chisel shank from a wedging position to a non-wedging position with respect to the chisel and vice versa; the combination of a bank of levers pivotally carried by the machine to oscillate about a common axis, there being provided a lever of said bank of levers for each of said wedges; first means operatively carried by each of said levers for reciprocating its respective wedge upon oscillation of the lever; second means normally acting to yieldably bias said wedges to said wedging position; and third means to actuate all of said levers simultaneously in a direction to move said wedges to non-wedging positions against action of said yieldable means, said third means comprising a shaft disposed with its axis parallel to said common axis and means carried by said shaft eccentrically thereof for engaging all of said levers to move them simultaneously in a direction for actuating said wedges to a non-wedging position when the shaft is rotated in one direction, and to permit said levers to move in a counter direction, responsive to said second means when said shaft is rotated in the opposite direction.

2. The machine as specified in claim 1 in which said shaft carried means comprises an axle paralleling its shaft and anti-friction means carried by said axle engaging said levers.

3. The machine as specified in claim 2 in which said anti-friction means is a tubular member for simultaneous engagement with all of said levers.

4. The machine as specified in claim 1 in which said shaft limits movement of said levers in said counter direction and hence limits the extent to which the wedges may be moved to a wedging position responsive to said second means, as when there is no work with which the chisels engage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,152,193 Johanning Mar. 28, 1939 2,552,958 Graham et a1 May 15, 1951 2,762,359 Entz Sept. 11, 1956 2,778,354 Crowl Jan. 22, 1957 

